Heirs to Chaos
by Soul Jelly
Summary: Team Lyoko trains its new recruits, whilst XANA builds towards its most lethal attack yet. Now a return to the past is changing the course of history for good, bringing new adversaries and ghosts from the past to the surface.
1. A Plan

Heirs to Chaos  
><span>Chapter One: A Plan<span>

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><p>"It's just not right," Yumi said angrily, thumping on clenched fist emphatically on the surface of the desk beside her. "And it's a really big risk Jérémie, in more ways than one."<p>

Jérémie sighed, removing his glasses in order to pinch the bridge of his nose. He could feel his friends' expectant gazes on him; Yumi, Ulrich, Odd and Aelita formed were crowded in his room, the small dorm where he would only be living for a few more short months. How he would miss Kadic, Jérémie thought, with a sudden pang of emotion. The time had gone by so quickly...

"I know," he replied, and the pain and exhaustion was evident in his voice. "I know."

There was a pause and everyone shifted uncomfortably in the silence. Their shoulders sagged and the bent their heads to stare at the shadows the late afternoon light cast over the floor, as though the air itself was so heavy with gloom that it physically weighed them down. At a glance, no one would think that this group of friends bore any huge burden on their shoulders, the youngest of them only seventeen, but the strain of their predicament left them with a haunted gaze and often twitchy disposition, characteristics that aged them beyond their years as morale slowly slipped away.

This small group of five had, after all, been fighting a secret war for four years. The entity which they fought against, the corrupt multi-agent programme known only as XANA, had evolved to match them at every turn. Worse still, with every defeat it seemed the programme's resolve grew stronger. Almost every week now, a new attack. Sometimes, however, it would draw out the pauses between attacks for weeks, waiting patiently as the Earth's defenders grew more restless and paranoid with each passing day. Then it would finally happen, and the cycle would start all over again.

Strange incident, paranoia, near-death experience, trip to Lyoko, temporary relief. The same old cycle repeated itself over and over, like one of those nightmares where the dreamer ran down a corridor with a block of light at the end perpetually out of reach.

Aelita bit her lip, unable to bear the uncomfortable silence any longer. Ever the hopeful one, she asked, pleaded, with the bespectacled boy to her right. "Are we sure there's nothing else we can do?"

"You know it's hopeless, Aelita. XANA is evolving too fast. I'm programming as fast as I can, I'm trying everything I can think of!" Jérémie's voice grew louder in frustration, and it took him visible effort to calm down. Presently, in a quiet voice he continued. "But it just keeps thinking up new ways to outsmart us. And with Yumi and William gone most of the time now, we've been even more slowed down."

A flash of hurt crossed the older girl's face and her grip on the desk tightened. Yumi, a year older than her friends, had graduated to high school the year before. Commuting for an hour every day in the opposite direction meant she was rarely available to help whenever there was an attack, and although Yumi tried her best to keep up with the gang, she had spent many a day in her classes feeling entirely helpless. On weekends, such as now, she visited her friends at Kadic and they mapped out new strategies, talked over any attacks that had happened within the week, but it just wasn't the same.

Almost as a final insult, she had stopped bearing the brunt of any of XANA's attacks. The programme had gathered from her increasingly infrequent visits to Lyoko that she was no longer as much of a threat. It was as though everything was conspiring to distance herself from the war which had dominated such a huge chunk of her life. Yet, she couldn't tear her heart away from it. Not when she had fought so hard for so long.

"It's only four months until the end of the school year," Jérémie continued. "And after that..."

"We'll have to move on," Ulrich finished. "Whether XANA's finished or not. And without anyone here to defend against his attacks, who knows what will happen."

It hardly bore thinking about.

Aelita shuddered. She knew even more intimately than the rest what XANA was capable of, second only perhaps to William, who had spent months in the monstrous entity's possession. Knowing they still hadn't managed to rescue him only added to their current sense of despair.

"Maybe we should hand this over to the authorities," Yumi suggested. It was something she had been thinking about for some time, back when the possibility of recruiting more members had first begun to resurface. It was a risk they hadn't taken since William, but when Yumi had left Kadic she had hesitantly brought it back up again. "Maybe that's what we should have done a long time ago."

"We can't!" Aelita exclaimed. "Even if we could convince someone to believe us, Jérémie will be in danger!" She clung to the blond boy protectively. "Hacking into government systems, creating me an entire fake identity... he'd be in serious trouble. And he's sacrificed so much for me." She clasped his hands together in her own and leaned against him. Jérémie barely reacted, his brow creased in thought.

Out of all of them, the guilt was perhaps the worst for Jérémie Belpois. He had started up the supercomputer in the first place after all, and as things had escalated, he had felt assured, and repeated his assurances to the others, that he was so close to fixing everything.

Aelita needed to be materialised? No problem. She was connected to Lyoko? He'd find a way around it. XANA had free reign over the entire Internet? They could figure something out. Eventually...

Lately, however, he had felt an increasing sense of desperation. Often Jérémie would stay awake long into the night, even when he was too exhausted to work on software for the supercomputer, and simply _worry_. Of course he had thought of going to the authorities and confessing everything, but, although he would never admit it, he was terrified of the possibility of being captured and interrogated by the French government. No matter how noble his intentions were, he knew as well as anyone that a boy with the means to hack into top-security networks, not to mention operate a supercomputer of extremely questionable origin, was nothing short of a huge threat to national security. He could... disappear. Without a trace. And no one would ever know.

He had had a taste of such a possibility during one of XANA's previous attacks but had managed to procure a narrow escape. The harsh reality was that, whatever fate was in store for him if he was properly condemned for his crimes, it certainly wouldn't be a nice one.

Yumi heaved a sigh and sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry Aelita, I wasn't thinking. We're as much a part of this as Jérémie is. We can't let that happen."

Odd had been silent up to now, which in itself was unusual. The fact that the group's resident joker had been unable to come up with a quip in the last twenty minutes of their discussion spoke volumes for the tone of the conversation. Suddenly he jumped up, agitated, and began pacing the room. The sombre mood was suffocating and he was desperate to rectify it.

"Oh come on, you guys! We're acting as though someone's _died_ in here."

"Well forgive us for not jumping for joy, Odd," Ulrich muttered sarcastically. Odd ignored him and, hands placed squarely on hips, turned to face the group.

"We've just got to keep being optimistic. For all we know, we could stumble on the key to defeating XANA next week! Why, I can see it now... next weekend, we'll be sitting out on the beach sipping some mocktails wondering what we ever got so worked up about. What?" he added, when Ulrich let out a sarcastic bark of laughter, the others responding only with sullen silence. "It could happen."

"Odd, give it a rest will you, for once your lame jokes aren't going to cut it."

Odd's shoulders slumped in temporary defeat.

"I hate to say it," Jérémie said, "but we really are out of options. Odd's right, we _could_ be close to defeating XANA" - Odd's face lit up again at this - "but realistically, we also might not." Odd's expression faltered again. Jérémie stood and began to pace as Odd had done, one hand poised against his chin as he thought aloud. "We need to be making long term plans, we need to be thinking three steps ahead of XANA at all times." He paused abruptly, locking eyes with Yumi, the most vocally opposed to the suggestion he had raised earlier that evening.

"We have no choice but to recruit some more students and train them to fight XANA."

"It's not fair," Yumi said softly.

And for the third time that day, Jérémie could only reply with "I know."

Each of the teenagers thought back on the last few years. The strain they had been under had been immense at times; the near-death experiences, the emotions that they had had to bottle up inside them to keep from breaking down when it all seemed too much. The underlying fear, increasing in intensity over the past year or so, that this would never be over, or even that they might lose.

Yet, because they had failed to secure the victory themselves, they had to find a group of people willing to be subject to those same struggles in their place. It was difficult to imagine anyone but themselves shouldering the burden.

"Hey, maybe this will be our best strategy yet," Aelita said. "With a couple more people on our side, we might tip the scales in our favour. _This_ could be the turning point." She smiled around at them all. "Right?"

Odd flashed his signature grin and punched the air.

"That's more like it!" he exclaimed. "Nothing can beat the awesome power of Team Lyoko!"

His ability to be cheerful when the situation called for it was greatly appreciated by the rest of the group, and with him voicing his optimistic train of thought, and the knowledge that they at least had a plan in mind, the rest of them felt their spirits begin to lift as well.

"We'll be like Batman. A whole group of Batmans, training our new apprentice."

Ulrich snorted. "This place is hardly Gotham City, Odd."

The exchange coaxed a few laughs from the others, and bit by bit the tension in the room began to dissolve.

Only one question remained. The most important decision of all.

"So who's it going to be?"

* * *

><p>AN: A few short notes so that you know what to expect from this story: Short opening chapter is short, subsequent ones will be less so. Yes, the original gang will feature rather prominently, especially in later chapters when we get into the Big Story Arc. However, much of the focus will also be on the new group of Lyoko warriors, existing secondary characters. That's it I guess. Thanks for reading!


	2. Into the Storm

_A/N: Finally got around to watching the CL eps I needed to finish the plan for this story! Realised in the process that I had to make a few changes to Chapter One, oops. Anyway as it is: William is in fact still under XANA's possession at this point, and Jérémie and Aelita have just about restored Lyoko. However, this fic is A/U and diverges from canon at some point in S4 around the episode 'Skidbladnir', but I'll let the story do the explaining. And without further ado, a super dramatic chapter._

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><p><span>Heirs to Chaos<span>  
><em>Chapter Two: Into the Storm<em>

Hiroki Ishiyama rested his chin in his hand and stared vacantly out of the classroom window, his teacher's lecture on Pythagorean theorems falling on deaf ears as the boy gazed up at the cloudy grey sky.

He fought against the urge to yawn as he turned back towards the clock. The hands had barely moved at all; it had only been two minutes since he last checked. Still, he reasoned, that was two minutes closer to the end of the day, when he could go home to finally catch up on some sleep and never again stay up until the small hours playing video games.

Well, until next time.

There was something ominous about the weather, he thought. The dark clouds had rolled in quickly earlier that afternoon even though the morning had started out warm and sunny. There had been the usual complaints about the weather from staff and students alike but Hiroki couldn't help feeling it went beyond that, somehow... He squeezed his tired eyes shut, hard, then opened them again. No, he told himself, he definitely needed to catch up on sleep.

After what seemed like hours, Mrs Meyer gave the order to close their textbooks and a second later the bell rang. Unfortunately, at the precise same moment the heavens decided to open, and there came a collective groan from the students at the realisation that their afternoon would be given over to pouring rain.

"I hope you brought an umbrella Hiroki." Milly turned around from her seat in front of him. "Or you could borrow mine." She rummaged in her bag, brandishing a collapsable pink umbrella covered in hearts. Hiroki felt heat rising up in his face, both at the fact that Milly Solovieff was talking to him and at the potential humiliation of walking home under such an embarrassing umbrella.

"Um, no thank you," he managed to stammer out. "Besides I have a coat. It's fine."

Milly shrugged in a _'suit yourself'_ sort of way before saying her goodbyes and racing towards the door to catch up with Tamiya. The two immediately bent their heads together, whispering and giggling conspiratorially as they vanished from sight. Glancing back to the window one last time to assess the extent of the downpour, Hiroki sighed – if anything, it had gotten worse in the past few minutes. Numerous puddles had already formed on the school grounds and across the courtyard, Hiroki could just make out an unfortunate faculty member diving into an open door to escape getting soaked any further.

Trudging out of the classroom and already cheered up at the thought of a warm bed and a long afternoon nap awaiting him back home, Hiroki joined the crowd of students milling through the corridors. Boarders went their separate ways, to dorms, the library and the rec room, and day students like himself were busy opening umbrellas and putting on jackets.

There was a bright flash of light followed by a loud crack and some girls' screams as thunder and lightning split the darkening sky. Hiroki was just ducking out of the main doors when he heard Jim Moralés striding purposefully down the corridor.

"All right, all right, enough of that ridiculous noise. And don't act so surprised, this storm's been threatening to break since lunchtime. Now, I don't want any boarders out on school grounds until it's blown over, you all got it? That goes for you too..."

And that was all Hiroki heard before he stepped out into the downpour, hood drawn around his face, and all other sound was swallowed up by rain and thunder and lightning.

Meanwhile, Jérémie Belpois lay slumped over a desk in a quiet corner of the library, sound asleep with his glasses pushed halfway up his face. He hugged his laptop protectively, letting out a small mumur as he shifted in slumber.

_"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you Jérémie," Aelita was saying. "I mean, even if the world ends we still have each other. We'll just have to escape into Lyoko that's all."_

_They were floating, soaring over Lyoko in their Earth clothes in search of Franz Hopper, but instead of towers there were only glowing, red Skidbladnirs..._

_"But they don't have hotdogs in the Digital Sea," Jérémie protested. Her idea was entirely reasonable but the lack of hotdogs would pose a significant problem. What would they eat? As though to specifically answer his question, Ulrich and Yumi appeared beside them, smiling._

_"We'll just get the new people to deliver food to us, that's all. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a break from fighting XANA every once in a while."_

_"Yeah," Ulrich added, nodding in agreement with Yumi. "And it's thanks to you that they're in with a job."_

_Things took on a more sour turn as his friends frowned at him._

_"Don't _you_ think it's your fault Jérémie?"_

_"No, no, I was only trying to help," Jérémie protested, holding up his hands. Then Odd appeared in front of him. Unlike the other two he was dressed in his Lyoko attire but with a series of wires and buttons clearly visible through a window on his forehead. There was a malfunction of some kind, Jérémie vaguely noticed, because Odd was emitting a strangely familiar beeping sound._

_"I'm with Einstein you guys. You'll just have to programme the hotdogs that's all. Don't forget the meatballs and spaghetti though, I'm starving! Just don't put computer chips in them like last time, you know Jim hates that."_

_"Okay Odd, but if you could stop beeping like that for two seconds maybe I could think it over."_

_"But Belpois!" Odd whined. "Belpois..."_

"Belpois! Belpois! Jérémie Belpois, wake up and shut off that laptop this instant! It's been beeping for near twenty minutes!"

"Wha-?" Jérémie edged instinctively away from the hand that was roughly shaking his shoulder, pulling his glasses back down over his eyes and heaving a huge yawn as he fought through the haze of sleep. He found himself staring sheepishly into the face of Kadic's librarian, whose lips were pinched into a firm line and who was standing with her hands planted on her hips. Jérémie blinked rapidly as he tried to process everything at once but amidst it all the bizarre dream was forgotten, leaving behind only a sense of confusion, a reccuring beep and the persistent drumming of rain and hail on the school roof.

"Uh, I'm terribly sorry Ma'am," Jérémie said.

"You know what, I don't even want to hear it Belpois. Just shut off that laptop, get out of here and leave the other students to study in peace!"

It was then that Jérémie fully registered the beeping sound and his eyes flew to his laptop screen. Sure enough, a red exclamation mark was flashing alongside a rotating diagram of a Lyoko tower.

"Oh no!" Jérémie pressed a button, silencing the alarm to sighs of relief from the librarian and the other students, and without another word he leapt from his chair and ran from the room, already reaching for his phone.

"Hello, Aelita? It's Jérémie. ... Where was I? I fell asleep in the library but... that's not important! XANA's woken up, we've got an activated tower in the Forest sector. I'm heading to the factory, I'll see you there as soon as you can make it. ...Okay... Bye."

Shoving his laptop into his bag as he ran, Jérémie raced down a corridor filled with students who had their faces glued to the tall windows, watching the storm outside with fascination. He slowed to a stop for a brief moment, pushing through for a space in the crowds. Shock filled him as he took in the sight.

The entire courtyard was flooded. The water level had risen several inches, enough to slosh against the bottom window panes. The sky flashed yellow and black with rapid lightning and the sounds of thunder and rain roared continually with no signs of stopping. The gathered students jumped in alarm as a hailstone nearly the size of a small brick tumbled from the sky and landed one of the higher steps with a loud crack. The clump of ice split in two, the pieces falling into the water, but soon another hailstone fell, and another.

Jérémie extracted himself from the crowd and continued his sprint down the hallway. Looks like he had discovered what XANA's next attack was.

* * *

><p>"But Jim, we have to leave! This is an emergency!"<p>

Aelita almost stamped her foot in frustration, but no amount of desperate protest would shift the gym teacher from his sentry position beside the door to the recreation room. She shared a despairing look with Odd, but the blond boy simply shrugged.

"What's an emergency is that we're about to be flooded. We can't let students just go running around the campus on their own and we certainly don't have time for your silly antics Stones. That goes for you too Della Robbia. Now go and play some foosball or something to pass the time."

Knowing they would have to come up with some other way to appease Jim so they could make their escape, Odd and Aelita edged away from the door to conspire in a corner. The clamour in the room was deafening, as dozens of other students watched the storm excitably and the more restless ones entertained themselves by pelting one another with scrunched up pieces of paper.

"We go through this same routine every time, haven't you noticed? I can practically recite Jim word for word now, every time he gets in the way of us stopping a XANA attack-"

"Hmm," Aelita said, only half-listening as she gazed in the direction of the window. Jérémie was already on his way to the factory... she hoped he would be okay.

Odd's tirade was interrupted by his phone ringing. The screen showed him that it was Ulrich calling and he answered it immediately.

"Ulrich? Ulrich are you there? Where are you?"

Ulrich fumbled with his mobile for a moment, attempting to wipe his wet hands on his soaking jacket with little success. He opened the door of the tool shed he was residing in ever so slightly, wincing as more water seeped in. It was coming up to his ankles, and the ball he had taken to soccer practice had long since floated away.

"Sorry, I'm here," he spoke into the phone, raising his voice over the noise. "I'm in one of the tool sheds on the school grounds. I was going to wait out the rain, but... XANA attack right?"

"You got it in one good buddy."

"Great. Just great. Where are you?"

"That's the thing. Aelita and me are stuck in the rec room, Jim isn't letting anybody out. Jérémie's on his way to the factory and Yumi said she'd be there ASAP."

Ulrich clenched his free hand into a fist, panic rising in his chest as he heard the sound of yet another enormous hailstone slamming hard into the roof. He was in serious danger if he went out there but it was nothing he hadn't done a thousand times before. He would just have to deal with it.

"Okay Odd, you know what you have to do. Just come up with a diversion, I'm sure you can think of something. All that matters right now is that Aelita gets to Lyoko to deactivate the tower. I'll call Einstein and tell him I'm making my way to the factory."

"Careful out there Ulrich."

"You too, Odd."

They hung up.

Ulrich's eyes darted frantically around the shed, looking for something he could use to make sure he got across the grounds safely. He should be okay once he reached the cover of the trees at the edge of the school but until then an umbrella just wouldn't cut it. Not to mention the fact that the water level continued to rise.

"At this rate I'll have to _swim_ to the factory," Ulrich grumbled. Suddenly his gaze landed on a sheet of corrugated iron propped against the far wall, and a smirk wounds its way onto his face. That would do nicely.

* * *

><p>Hiroki had walked through the woods to take shelter from the rain but an increased feeling of unease overtook him as the storm showed no signs of stopping, the ground beneath him growing so waterlogged that he felt like he was walking through marshland. His hands were numb with cold and the icy rain had managed to seep through his top layer of clothes so that a damp feeling clung uncomfortably to his skin. His socks squelched, his shoes were ruined, and his mood darkened by the second.<p>

Out of nowhere came a huge _thud_, followed moments later by another. Hiroki darted to the side just in time as a lump of ice crashed to earth right where he had been standing, and another a few metres away. The hailstones were mostly normal sized, but there was the occasional exception in the form of those he had just encountered. He squinted up at the sky, rainwater running into his eyes and plastering his hair to his forehead. _What kind of freaky weather is this?_

Without hesitation, Hiroki broke into a run. Something was very wrong, and his instincts screamed at him to find shelter as soon as possible. It was at this point that he also remembered there was something vitally important he had forgotten, and he had an awful feeling that it was something to do with trees being a hazard during a lightning storm.

"Okay Hiroki, don't freak out," he mumbled to himself, though even his voice was inaudible. "You'll be home soon."

On a good day, walking quickly, he could get from Kadic to his house in maybe ten minutes, but considering the weather and all of the extra weight that the water had added to his clothes, he guessed it would be more like thirty. Gritting his teeth Hiroki put on an extra burst of speed, finally breaking out of the woods on the other side and climbing over the low fence that bordered the park. Cars were parked in every spare space on the curb, with people sitting inside them for shelter. Many displayed dents in the metal which showed they had been heavily damaged, and water and broken pieces of ice littered the roads and pavements. In the distance was a wail of sirens.

"Maybe... this wasn't... a good idea..." Hiroki panted. He was exhausted from running and each breath he took tore at his lungs and throat. Whatever he was going to do next, he would have to rest first. Diving beneath a nearby bus shelter Hiroki slid to the pavement, rested his head on his arms, and waited.

* * *

><p>"Don't worry, Princess." Odd stood up, cracked his knuckles and grinned down at his pink-haired friend. "I've got a plan. Time to put my acting skills to the test."<p>

"Uh..."

"Don't look so nervous Aelita! Don't you trust me?"

Aelita gave the merest hint of a smirk. "Do you want me to answer that honestly?"

"Ha ha," Odd replied flatly, but he placed a hand on her shoulder as she stood up beside him, and smiled once more. "Okay, as soon as Jim is away from the door, make a break for it. I'll try and follow suit but you might have to go for it on your own."

She gave a determined nod. "Right."

"Ready?"

"Whenever you are, Odd."

"Oh, and don't forget your umbrella Aelita!"

Before she could respond to the quip, Odd drew breath and released the loudest scream Aelita had ever heard, loud enough and dramatic enough to bring the entire remainder of the room to silence in an instant. Clutching his chest dramatically, Odd staggered forward a few steps, staging his manoeuvre so that it conveniently knocked down a nearby bookshelf. Jim's head whipped around in alarm.

"Della Robbia, what's wrong?"

"Jim! I-I think I'm having a-" with a dramatic sigh, Odd fell to his knees and collapsed face first on the floor, motionless. There was a fraction of a pause before the room descended once more into madness, with students screaming and crying and pushing to gather around their fallen classmate. In a flash, Jim was at the scene, bellowing at students to move aside.

It was all Aelita needed. Sparing a single backward glance, she edged towards the door, flung it open, and was gone.

* * *

><p>Yumi had been on the bus home from school when the storm had taken a turn for the worst, and the text message Jérémie confirmed her suspicions; XANA was attacking again. She shivered as she watched raindrops and hailstones bounce against the ground with the force of impact. The last time XANA had launched a weather-related attack things had not gone well for her. Memories of snow and a cold that seemed to penetrate her very bones as it slowly sapped away at her life flooded to the forefront of her mind and she shook her head forcefully to push them away.<p>

The bus driver made a valiant attempt to drive the students home despite everything but eventually she had pulled over, conceding defeat, a few stops from Yumi's house. Silence gradually overcame the vehicle as the students realised that they were no longer moving. Up front, the bus driver pulled out a megaphone and addressed the passengers.

"Sorry kids," she said. "Can't drive a step further until this blows over. It ain't happening."

There was a collective groan of protest, to which the driver simply shrugged, reiterating her apology. Just as Yumi was trying to decide what to do, her mobile rang.

"Yumi?"

"Jérémie!"

"Yumi, listen, I could really use you over here. Ulrich and Aelita are on their way to the factory but we'll need as many of you as we can on Lyoko to protect Aelita."

"What about Odd?"

"He's a little... preoccupied right now."

"Uh huh."

"Do you think you can be here quick?"

"I'll try my best Jérémie."

"That's all I ask for Yumi. Be careful. See ya."

"Bye."

Pocketing her phone once more, Yumi stood up and strode towards the front of the bus. The driver raised one eyebrow as she approached and stared her down with folded arms.

"I already told you Missy, I ain't driving this thing another inch. I'm responsible for everyone's lives here you know."

Yumi sighed, hopping impatiently from foot to foot. "Can't you at least drive me to the next block? Please, I have to get uh, home, it's really really important!"

"The whole town will be on hold until this calms down. I don't think you're in any hurry."

"Please!"

"You can say it until you're blue in the face, but it ain't happening."

Yumi tsked and folded her arms. This was pointless, she was wasting too much time.

"All right, how about this," she said. "Just open the doors and let me off the bus."

The driver's eyes widened. "You want to go out in this? Are you crazy?"

Yumi glanced to the window and shuddered. "I don't have any choice."

"Sweetie, it's dangerous out there. I can't let you risk your life."

Yumi could have screamed. The people who meant well were sometimes the most infuriating.

"Listen, I really appreciate that, but you have to let me off this bus! It's important! If you don't, I'll-I'll... I'll smash the window! Don't believe I won't!" She reached for the emergency hammer on the back of a nearby seat and, realising that Yumi was serious, the bus driver held up her hands.

"All right, all right. I'll let you out, but I hope you know what you're doing."

Yumi's shoulders sagged in relief and she hopped down the steps as the door opened "Thank you! And, I do." _I hope._

The doors closed behind her.

Sloshing awkwardly through puddles, Yumi ran towards the safety of a nearby shop front. Most of the buildings around this area had small roofs over their doorways - her plan was to make her way down the street using these for cover as much as possible. It would be slow going but so long as she escaped intact it would be worth it. Yumi felt curious eyes on her from windows and noticed for the first time just how many people had crowded into buildings. Like Hiroki, she heard the wailing siren, and badly hoped that no one was seriously hurt.

Eventually she turned a corner and came to a more familiar road. Her house was nearby, and up ahead was the bus stop she was usually dropped off at. Here, too, the cars were full and the roads near empty. Pausing for a second to take a breath and rubbing her hands together for warmth, Yumi surveyed the scene. This was the first XANA attack in a while and not for the first time, Yumi wondered what it was planning. There was no time to dwell on that now, however; she had to get to the factory. Hopefully Ulrich and Aelita would be there by now. Oh, if only she still attended Kadic, she could have been there already!

Bracing herself, Yumi darted towards the road. Ahead of her was the park which promised the safety of the sewers once she reached the manhole. Her gaze drifted for a second to the bus stop and her heart skipped a beat as she saw a figure huddled there. A teenage boy, about thirteen years old with spiky black hair, and that blue parka... she would recognise it anywhere, had picked it out herself for Hiroki's birthday a few months ago.

"Hiroki!" she called.

So focused was she on the boy that she didn't see the car careening down the road, barely visible or audible through the pouring rain. She couldn't think in time to react when its wheels collided with a particularly large hailstone and the vehicle swerved in a huge arc across the curb.

Tires screeched, there was a shout that might have been her name, and Yumi's world faded into blackness.

* * *

><p>Hiroki saw it all.<p>

He had raised his head once more and decided he would just have to run the rest of the way home, somehow, and was sorely regretting not having some excuse to stay behind after school, when he saw a blur of motion across the street. Someone tall, practically invisible due to their wholly black clothing, and short black hair in saturated strands falling into their face.

It reminded him of Yumi, but surely Yumi wouldn't be stupid enough to try and make her way home in this storm. The thought had barely crossed his mind before Hiroki realised that that was exactly what he himself had done. He sighed. Struggling to his feet and bracing himself against the wall of the bus shelter, Hiroki cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to her.

"Yumi?"

He was almost positive the person was looking in his direction and Hiroki was about to cross the road to meet her, sure that it was in fact her, when it happened.

Someone, evidently deciding they had somewhere they needed to be, was roaring down the road in a dark blue car. Hiroki didn't know how it happened, didn't need to - all he knew was that the car lost control and the next moment his sister was sprawled across the curb, unmoving.

And then he was running, splashing through puddles and almost losing his balance as he made his way towards her, kneeling at Yumi's side to brush the hair away from her pale face and closed eyes. Blood ran from some unseen wound, immediately mixing with the rainwater that streamed along the gutter. Hiroki was crying but he barely noticed, frantically shaking the girl before him and calling her name over and over, his body over hers to shield her from the worst of the storm and hail even though it hit his back hard enough to bruise. He couldn't bring himself to care about the car, or the driver.

The wail of sirens started again, this time much closer. Hiroki blinked, running his hand across his eyes and making his way shakily to his feet. Twin pinpricks of light blinked at him in the distance, growing slowly closer and closer until another vehicle came into view.

An ambulance. A miracle.

Hiroki could have sobbed again with relief, but instead he ran as far into the road as he dared and waved his arms.

"STOP!" He yelled to them. "Help me! Please help!"

The ambulance pulled to a stop and someone jumped out, shining a flashlight.

"Can't see a damn thing in this weather," a male voice grumbled. "Shouldn't even be driving, but like Johnson was saying, if you can pick up at least one casualty it'll be damned worth it. You okay kid?" he asked finally, walking right up to Hiroki.

The boy couldn't bring himself to speak, instead pointing to the pavement. The ambulance driver swore under his breath as he took in the sight and immediately pulled out a pocket radio.

"Stand by. I'm bringing a girl in. Teenager, about seventeen years old. Some kind of car accident. I'll do what I can for the driver but you're gonna have to send someone."

Meanwhile, the back doors of the ambulance had opened and two more paramedics emerged, heaving out a stretcher. They kneeled down beside Yumi, checking her pulse and attaching a breathing mask. Hiroki felt as though it was happening in slow motion, his eyes never leaving his sister. He just managed to croak out an "is she...?" before his throat closed up, eyes threatening more tears.

"She's alive," he was reassured, "but we'll need to get her in to assess the damage." The paramedic gestured to the ambulance behind him. "Listen kid, we've got three other casualities in the back already, it's going to be tough to fit you in."

"I _do_ live nearby, but..."

Hiroki hesitated. Could he really sit with Yumi, her in a hospital bed, and not go insane? What if the worst happened? He was distracted from his thoughts as there was a soft groan and Yumi stirred.

"No..." she mumbled. "Don't come, got to... find Ulrich."

"Yumi!" Hiroki cried, flooded with relief as she cracked open one eye to meet his own.

"Hiroki," she called, her voice cracked and quiet. He tried to step closer to hear her better, but paramedics, still tending to the stretcher, held him back. They said something to him but he ignored them, focusing entirely on Yumi. "Hiroki, listen to me," she continued. She spoke quickly and urgently, even though through her pain it cost her physical effort. Her face contorted in concentration – it sent cold ice shards through Hiroki's stomach to see his big sister bearing such an expression of agony – and she fumbled with a bloodied hand to take her mobile phone from her pocket.

Realising what she was about to, Hiroki reached out and just about caught the phone in a clumsy two-handed grip. He stared at it for a second before he realised that Yumi was still speaking, raising her voice as she was wheeled past him into the back of the waiting ambulance.

"Call Ulrich," she said. "Find him. Tell him what happened, and ask him to explain-"

But if she had intended to tell Hiroki what exactly Ulrich should explain, he wasn't to know, for at that moment the ambulance doors slammed closed behind her. The world around Hiroki was chaos and the wail of the ambulance siren become one with the cacophony as the vehicle screeched away, taking his sister away from him.

Hiroki watched it go until it rounded a corner. He retreated back to the safety of the bus shelter, staring despondently out into the storm.

Then he looked down at the phone clenched tightly in his hand and began to dial.


	3. Against the Odds

Heirs to Chaos

_Chapter Three: Against the Odds_

Ulrich waited impatiently by the manhole cover in the park, still holding his makeshift corrugated shield over his head, and shook drenched hair out of his eyes.

After receiving Hiroki's phone call, his thoughts wouldn't slow down. Yumi was hurt and... well, knowing they could fix everything with a simple trip back in time didn't help him to stop worrying any less. The fight against XANA was fraught with danger, they all knew that, but what would he do if something serious ever happened to her? Ulrich blinked hard and shook his head to chase this unwelcome thought away, reminding himself that he had to keep an eye out for Hiroki. Fortunately, a few short minutes later, a blurry shape appeared between the trees and Hiroki came into view, automatically ducking beneath Ulrich's shelter.

"Down here," Ulrich said, bending down to lift up the manhole cover. His hands were stiff with cold but with Hiroki's help they managed to pull it apart and clambered quickly down into the sewers, pulling the cover back in position after them.

"Yumi said you would explain what's going on," Hiroki said. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeve, hoping that they weren't too red-rimmed, too distracted to even feel bothered by the stench of the sewers.

"I know, but we have to hurry. I'll explain on the way. Take one," Ulrich said, gesturing to the skateboards leaning against the wall of the sewer. Hiroki picked up a board and soon the two boys were speeding along the dark network of tunnels.

Finally, Ulrich began to speak once more. "All right," he said. "You're going to think this is crazy, but I hope you'll believe me all the same. It all started a couple of years ago, when Jérémie decided to go exploring in an abandoned factory..."

* * *

><p>Jérémie spun around in his chair as the lift clanked into life. There was the sound of someone getting in on the floor above and a moment later the doors opened in front of him, and out came a pink-haired girl looking somewhat the worse for wear. At the sight of her, Jérémie's face broke out into a grin of sheer relief.<p>

"Aelita! You made it!"

"Hello Jérémie." She gave him a weak smile and absently rung water out of the hem of her shirt. Like Jérémie, Aelita's skin was peppered with light bruises where the worst of the rain and hail had buffeted her, but besides that and being a little out of breath, she was relatively unharmed.

"Are you okay? Where's Odd?" Jérémie asked, craning his neck as though the the purple-clad boy might appear behind her.

"I'm fine, but don't ask about Odd. Let's just say... right now he's probably in the principal's office trying to explain why he thought it was a good idea to pretend to have a heart-attack in the middle of the rec room."

Jéremie's only response was a low groan of despair as his face hit his palm. Aelita smirked and crossed her arms over her chest as she walked up beside him to examine the computer screen. "To be fair," she continued, "if he hadn't done it I don't see how I would ever have gotten away."

"Well that's great and all but I don't see how he's going to get here in time now, and we could really use him on Lyoko."

"Don't worry Jérémie. Between Ulrich, Yumi and me I'm sure we'll manage just fine."

"I sure hope so. What's taking those two anyway?"

* * *

><p>"... and that's the whole story. We were pretty close to defeating him last year, but we didn't manage to finish the programme for the Skid in time. That set us back a few months and gave XANA the time he needed to get that bit stronger. We've been locked in a stalemate with XANA for a long time now and, well, not to put a downer on things but we're getting pretty desperate. Well, here we are," Ulrich finished as he pushed back the manhole on the bridge with a grunt of effort and climbed out, reaching down to help Hiroki. Ulrich noticed with concern that the water level had risen so that small waves now lapped at the bridge rail. Any more and the factory itself was in danger of flooding...<p>

Hiroki's mind was spinning. The story Ulrich had quickly summarised for him in the sewers was entirely ridiculous, to put it lightly. He could barely process it all – an evil AI, a virtual world, monsters... it was too much, like something out of science fiction. For the first time, Hiroki found himself a little afraid of the older boy he had come to regard as a big brother. Had Ulrich gone mad? What was Hiroki going to find in this old factory?

There was no time to think it over any further. He would just have to find out for himself.

They made one last sprint across the remainder of the bridge and were finally in the relative safety of the factory. After a moment's hesitation, Hiroki followed Ulrich to the elevator and they stepped in. Ulrich noticed Hiroki's nervous expression and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. If you don't believe me, I can prove it to you soon enough. But if we're going to save Yumi we have to act quickly, so try not to ask too many questions for now all right?"

"Right..." Hiroki agreed.

The lift doors opened and across the room Hiroki saw Jérémie sitting in a huge computer chair, Aelita beside him. Sure enough, the supercomputer was there just as Ulrich had told him, along with a huge 3D holographic map displaying some kind of flat terrain with four separate axis.

"Hiroki?" Jérémie and Aelita asked at once as they turned to meet the newcomers.

The boy in question was staring around at the room in awe. He removed his coat, dropping it to the cold floor with a wet _thunk _and ran up to the supercomputer.

"This is it? Are you serious?" Hiroki asked, turning to Ulrich.

"Not now Hiroki. I promise we'll explain everything later. Okay Jérémie, long story short, Hiroki's going to be helping us out this time around. What's been going on?"

"It's just as I thought. Our good friend XANA is attacking the core of Lyoko."

"_Again?_ XANA needs a new plan. That thing just never quits does it?"

Jérémie gave a dry laugh. "That'll be the day."

"Where's Yumi?" Aelita interjected. At the question, both Hiroki and Ulrich's faces turned sombre.

Ulrich cleared his throat and forced himself to speak. "Jérémie, you're going to have to do a Return to the Past when this over. Yumi's been hurt..."

Hiroki's questioning "a _return to the past_?" was ignored as Jérémie and Ulrich exchanged a solemn look, before the blond boy nodded. He didn't need to ask questions, he could see in his friend's eyes that whatever had happened was serious.

"Right."

Aelita placed her hand on Ulrich's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze but the situation at hand was too urgent for them to dwell on things any longer. Jérémie spun his chair around and peered at the assembled group of three before him.

"All right, this is going to be a tough one. Hiroki, you help cover Aelita in the Forest sector so she can deactivate the tower. Ulrich, I'll materialise you directly into Sector Five so you can protect the core."

"Hiroki," Aelita said softly. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Ulrich says if we stop this... XANA's... attack, we can make it so Yumi's okay," Hiroki said and in that statement his answer was obvious. He followed the other two back into the elevator and they emerged yet another level down where three cylindrical structures stood facing each other in the middle of the floor. Suddenly he found himself nervous and looked up at the two older teenagers, who smiled down at him.

"Do you trust us Hiroki?"

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, still unable to believe this whole thing. But hadn't he himself said this weather was unnatural? Hadn't there been a bunch of other strange happenings around Kadic Academy in the last few years that he couldn't really explain? And the computer was there, and the scanners... so far it all added up. Plus, if Hiroki trusted anyone besides his parents, Yumi and Johnny, it was Ulrich. Finally, he nodded.

"Let's go then. Aelita, you two go first."

Aelita stepped into a scanner and Hiroki followed suit, staring around at the white interior nervously and trying hard to mask his fear as the doors began to slide shut. From speakers concealed somewhere in the ceiling, he heard the _tap-tap-tapping_ of computer keys followed by Jérémie's voice.

"Transfer Aelita, transfer Hiroki."

The doors fully closed now, Hiroki felt a light tingling sensation overcome him as though he was being lifted into the air.

"Scanner, Aelita, scanner Hiroki."

The whiteness grew brighter and wind whipped his hair around his face until he was forced to close his eyes. The tingling sensation continued, spreading through every fibre of his being. He felt himself being lifted higher...

_"Virtualisation!"_

For a moment he didn't dare to open his eyes. Panic flooded him as he felt himself falling, and when finally he did open his eyes it was to see the ground rapidly approaching him. Where Aelita landed effortlessly in a crouch, Hiroki fell flat on his face. Somewhere to his left, he heard her give a soft chuckle.

Irritated and disorientated, Hiroki pulled himself to his feet and the first thing he noticed was his hands and arms. Instead of the shirt he had been wearing, his hands and arms up to the elbow were wrapped around with white bandages, forming fingerless gloves. He wore a blue bodysuit with black bloots and a black scarf was hung around his shoulders, masking the lower half of his face, with the torn ends blowing as though in an invisible wind. He reached down to his waist, where there hung a belt adorned with shiny throwing stars.

"Cool," he breathed.

"Hiroki, there's no time for that!" Jérémie's voice came out of nowhere and Hiroki jumped in alarm, spinning around for the source of the boy's voice. Then he noticed Aelita, with her pink bodysuit and pointed ears, and gaped.

"Jérémie," she reprimanded fondly, gazing up at the empty sky. "Give him a second. The welcoming committee hasn't even arrived yet, and the tower's in plain sight."

Sure enough, a couple of hundred of metres ahead of them stood a tall black and white structure, surrounded with a faint red smoke. Aelita took off at a sprint and Hiroki followed suit, eyes still roving as he drank in every inch of the strange environment. The ground beneath his feet was green in approximation of grass, and all around them were trees which reached so high he couldn't even see their tops. Beyond the platform they ran along there was nothing but blank space, the kind where, if you were playing a video game and you fell off, you would lose a life.

"It's quite simple really," Aelita explained as they ran. "I don't know how much Ulrich told you, but only I can deactivate the towers to stop XANA. All you have to do is help me out and fight any monsters that come to welcome us, and whatever you do, don't fall into the Digital Sea-" she gestured to the blankness "- or you'll be in huge trouble."

"Sounds simple enough. But where are the monsters?"

The words had hardly even left his mouth before an array of strange-looking creatures rounded the activated tower and came into view.

"Two Bloks and three Krabbes," Aelita noted. Still running, she held out one palm flat in front of her and Hiroki stared as a pink orb formed in her hand. "Energy Field!" she cried as the orb left her hand and spiralled towards the monsters, decimating one of the Bloks in a single hit.

"Nice shot Aelita," came Jérémie's voice, brimming with admiration.

"Why thank you."

Hiroki reached for one of the stars on his belt. He instinctively dodged out of the way of a red beam fired by a Krabbe before hurling the star at it. He let out a whine of protest as it simply bounced off the creature's shell.

"You have to hit the Eye on their body," Aelita told him, dodging an attack from the second Blok. Hiroki grumbled to himself that someone should have told him that sooner. He had no idea how much ammunition he had left.

Leaping into the air and forming an impressive somersault, Hiroki grinned as he landed on the Krabbe's shell. The creature let out a guttural cry and moved about jerkily on its four thin legs as it tried to shake him off, but Hiroki clung on. Taking a second star from his belt, he stabbed it forcefully into the very centre of the Eye on the shell. What he didn't anticipate was the ensuing explosion as the creature dissolved into a puff of pixels. Hiroki was flung forcefully backwards and he bounced roughly once, twice, along the ground, finally skidding to a halt on his side at the very edge of the platform.

"Eighty life points left, Hiroki," Jérémie warned him from his seat at the computer screen.

Hiroki rose shakily to his feet and gritted his teeth. Even for someone who played a lot of video games, this was a lot harder than it looked.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the Carthage Sector, Ulrich leapt down a set of stairs made of large blue bricks and muttering <em>"Super Sprint!"<em> crossed the threshold in a burst of speed and yellow-orange light. He came to a halt beneath a glowing white orb surrounded by two cubes - Lyoko's core, and its shield layers. Unfortunately, two Mantas and three Creepers were already at work.

"You know, I'm realising something," Ulrich said aloud to himself. "It's just not the same fighting Lyoko battles when you're by yourself. Lucky for me, I don't have to be." He grinned and pulled out his twin swords, at the same time yelling "_Triplicate!"_

Three Ulrichs headed off in separate directions to take out three Creepers.

Almost without trying, one Ulrich duplicate swept his sword through the monster, not even pausing to watch it explode. Deflecting blasts from the Creepers' mouths with their lasers, the other Ulrichs sooned joined the first on their way up the steps. The Mantas were a little further up and, so far, out of reach.

"Nice work Ulrich," came Jérémie's voice. "Aelita and Hiroki seem to be doing okay. We'll have that tower deactivated in no time, unless of course... oh _no_," he groaned. Ulrich paused for a second, gazing upwards.

"What's wrong, Jérémie?"

"Guess who just showed up."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's _not_ Odd."

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," Jérémie quipped, before there was the sound of him slamming his hands down on the arms of his chair and a despairing cry of "Aelita, no! Look out!"

So caught up was he in the fight happening in the Forest sector, that Ulrich didn't see the fresh wave of Creepers emerging from the shadows until it was too late and with a sneak-attack from behind, they took out one of his triplicates. Ulrich immediately forced his mind back to his own battle, spinning around just in time to defend himself against another blast.

He could only hope that Aelita and Hiroki would be able to hold off their newest adversary.

* * *

><p>With both Bloks and two Krabbes down between Aelita and himself, Hiroki felt he was beginning to get into the swing of things. He moved back to stand beside Aelita as she charged up one more Energy Field to take out the remaining monster guarding the tower.<p>

"Not bad for a first round on Lyoko, huh?" Hiroki shifted energetically from foot to foot. "I'm actually kind of disappointed there aren't any more monsters to fight. It's kind of fun, right Aelita? Aelita?"

She released the orb of energy in her palm and it flew right to its intended target, shattering the Krabbe to pieces. But Aelita didn't even notice it; instead her eyes widened as they fixed on a familiar figure floating down from the sky towards them.

"Aelita, who is that?" Hiroki asked, as a boy clad in black and weilding a huge steel blade appeared. "It kind of looks like... William Dunbar."

"It is," Aelita replied. Hiroki gasped.

"What?"

"No time to explain." She took an automatic step back as William descended, fixing them with a smirk. Hiroki shivered as he looked into the other boy's eyes. They were so dark, empty, and that grin on his face held no joy whatsoever. It was a look of pure evil.

Before either Aelita or Hiroki could make another move, William reached out his hand in much the same way Aelita had done to fire her attack. Instead of pink orbs however, black smoke curled from his fingers, heading straight towards Aelita. She cried out as the substance surrounded her, pinning her hands to her sides and dragging her towards its creator.

"Hiroki do something!"

Jérémie's voice snapped Hiroki into action and he reached for a handful of shurikens, hurling them in William's direction. Without sparing Hiroki so much as a glance, he simply lifted his huge blade in one hand and held it up, for the throwing stars to clatter uselessly against it, landing on the ground.

"Hiroki, I need to reload your weapons. It'll be about thirty seconds, but in the meantime you need to stop William from taking Aelita!"

"How?"

"I don't know, think of something!"

Hiroki looked around frantically, before simply deciding to chase after Aelita and pull her back. It was a long battle between himself and William as Hiroki stood with his arms looped awkwardly around Aelita's waist, fighting off tendrils of black smoke. He felt himself being pulled inch by inch along the ground as William took the upper hand in their strange tug of war.

"Ten seconds Hiroki!"

* * *

><p>Ulrich leapt onto the first Manta and it immediately rotated in mid-air in an attempt to throw him off. Ulrich clung on stubbornly, stabbing the large Eye target with one of his swords and leaping from the monster's back just before it exploded. He flailed in the air for a second, falling in an arc and his fingers scrabbling desperately for something to hold onto. He was buffeted by two blasts from Creepers, each hitting him in the chest one after another.<p>

Luckily for Ulrich, the momentum pushed him in the direction of the platform he needed. Gripping the smooth blue surface as best he could, Ulrich hauled himself back up the ledge and turned to survey the scene.

One Manta left, and a stray Creeper or two. The Core of Lyoko was down by one shield layer and he had no idea how many life points he had left, but he suspected it couldn't be too many.

Adjusting his grip on his twin swords, Ulrich sprinted to the opposite side of the platform where the Manta was waiting.

* * *

><p>"Aaaand you're done!"<p>

"Thanks Jérémie!"

Keeping one arm around Aelita, Hiroki grabbed a shuriken and hurled it. It became a round blur in the air as it sped towards William, who reached once more for his sword.

"Come on..." Hiroki urged under his breath, willing the throwing star to somehow avoid William's defence. To Hiroki's suprise, it did; his weapon curved in a smooth arc, almost like a boomerang, and managed to clip William in the small of his back. The boy hissed in pain, his focus broken - the black smoke immediately dissipated and Aelita landed heavily upon the ground.

"Thank you Hiroki." She smiled at him, pulling herself to her feet.

"No time for that! I'll hold him off, you get to the tower!"

She nodded. Then, to Hiroki's astonishment, she passed her hand over the bracelet on her wrist and a pair of bright pink wings erupted from her shoulder blades. She leapt into the air and shot off like a rocket towards the tower. William made to go after her but was pelted with another handful of throwing stars in his back.

"Hey, William! Or whoever you are!" William turned back to Hiroki and stared him down. There was a hint of curiosity there, and the younger teenager wondered if Yumi's old classmate recognised him. Not that it mattered now; all Hiroki needed to do was stall for time. "I'm not finished with you yet!" Hiroki called to him. He crouched into a fighting stance and then charged forward...

... straight onto William's sword.

Hiroki's mouth opened in a silent gasp of shock as the blade ran clean through him. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were dissolving into blue-white pixels.

He vanished, just as Aelita entered the tower.

* * *

><p>"All right! Great work everybody."<p>

Jérémie spun around in his chair and punched the air in celebration, his grin widening as, a minute later, his screen told him that Ulrich had just disposed of the final Manta. Taking a moment to revel in the victory, Jérémie reached for the keyboard again to type the command that would launch the Return to the Past.

_Inside the tower, Aelita was lifted slowly into the air._

A scanner door slid open and Hiroki emerged, sinking to his knees as he legs suddenly turned to lead.

_Aelita landed on the second platform and a screen popped up in front of her._

Yumi lay on a hospital bed, face pale and expressionless as she clung to life with the aid of breathing apparatus and heart-monitor equipment.

_'Aelita' the screen welcomed her as she placed her palm against it. 'Code...'_

Odd sat in the principal's office, guarded by a very angry Principal Delmas as they both stared out of the window. Water was beginning to leak into the room through the slightest of cracks between the wall and window, and with no idea what had transpired in the last two hours Odd could only hope for the best.

_...Lyoko._

The world became engulfed in blinding light.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I hope anyone reading this enjoyed this chapter. If you're wondering why the XANA attack only took two chapters, well, it's a small drop in the ocean compared to the many, many events that are going to transpire in this story. I could have spread it over at least another chapter, but this thing is going to be quite a long story as it is. Anyway, I don't think the pacing was too bad...? Comments/thoughts are super appreciated! Thanks for reading!_


	4. Aftermath

_A/N: Whyyy is it so hard to write anything that isn't a oneshot? ;_; Coming up in this chapter - a wild subplot appears! New characters! New conflicts! New uses for Morse Code! My thanks to Vena for her help and creativity in this chapter._

* * *

><p><span>Heirs to Chaos<span>  
><em>Chapter Four: Aftermath<em>

Hiroki opened his eyes again to darkness.

Memories and sensations flooded him at once; he found that he was lying on his back, in a dark, silent room. A moment later he realised with a jolt that he was in his bed, in his own room, and his body no longer ached from the physical exhaustion it had suffered once he had come out of the scanner.

The scanner.

Hiroki leapt upright, spinning around in an automatic movement to slam a palm down on the button atop his alarm clock. It lit up and the green glowing numbers told him it was almost 6AM. Hiroki's head spun and he suddenly found it almost difficult to breathe. He clutched his chest with one hand and the other gripped his hair. He felt an overwhelming sense of disorientation as he struggled not to panic. What had happened? Was he going insane? Hiroki couldn't be sure; he was definitely here in his bedroom, in the early hours of the morning, but moments earlier it had been late afternoon and he had been in the old abandoned factory.

Thoughts swirled through his head. The scanner, Lyoko, XANA... Yumi...

Yumi!

Hiroki crossed his room in two quick strides, flung open his door and ran across the hallway, bursting into his sister's room. He switched on the light and immediately a groan came from the bed as a mound beneath the covers rolled over and blinked hard in the sudden brightness.

"Hey, Hiroki."

"Yumi!"

"Keep your voice down! And shut the door, you'll wake Mom and Dad."

"Right, right," Hiroki whispered, closing the door quietly behind him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and tucked his cold feet beneath the ends of the blanket. Yumi sat opposite him, rubbing her eyes again and stretching as she yawned.

"Your first trip to past didn't agree with you, huh?" She grinned sleepily at him, highly amused by the shocked look on her little brother's face. At Yumi's words, the younger teen remembered the final words he had heard Jérémie say over the speakers before the blinding light overtook him. _Return to the past now._

"Did... did we really go back in time?" he whispered.

She nodded. "That's right. And that also means Aelita deactivated the tower in time, which means you all saved my life. Thank you."

Hiroki's mind flashed back for a moment to the sight of his sister disappearing into the ambulance and he blinked hard, shaking his head to chase the thought away.

"I can't believe it..." he mumbled. "And... I'm still not sure I really understand. Ulrich told me everything, all of this about you all fighting this secret war against XANA and Aelita being trapped on Lyoko for ten years and 'returns to the past'. It's crazy."

"I know."

"And yet... it's real right? It's all really real? It actually happened?"

Yumi nodded once more.

"I know it's hard to take in," she told him. "It took me a while too." Her expression turned sombre all of a sudden and she buried her fists in the bedsheets as her brow furrowed in a frown. "Hiroki, I'm so sorry. I never wanted you to get involved in all of this. We're in way over our heads with XANA, and we've had a worrying amount of close calls lately. I would never have asked, but just the other day we were talking about asking some more people to help us, and then I got hurt, and, well..."

"Haven't you taken it to the authorities?"

"We did once or twice but, put it this way – would you believe us?"

Hiroki thought back to his first conversation with Ulrich in the sewer and how he had feared for his role model's sanity. Slowly, he shook his head.

"I wonder if we've made the right decision..." Yumi continued quietly, more to herself than to her brother. "I'd tell you you can back out at any time, but now that you've entered the scanner you'll be immune to any Returns to the Past."

"You're kidding right?" Hiroki exclaimed, clapping his hands over his mouth as Yumi mouthed _be quiet!_ Dropping his voice once again to a whisper, Hiroki said; "Back out now, after I just played what's without a doubt _the coolest_ virtual reality game on the entire planet?"

"It's not a game, Hiroki," Yumi reminded him sternly.

"Oh you know what I mean. I was pretty good on Lyoko if I say so myself. If you need a hand you probably picked the right person. You should have seen me Yumi! I was this really awesome-"

"Hiroki! Yumi!"

The two children turned to the door which had opened without their noticing. Standing there was Takeo Ishiyama, still in his pyjamas and his eyes bleary with sleep. He glared at the two of them and they looked back at him sheepishly.

"Sorry, Father," Hiroki mumbled.

"Do you have any idea what time it is? Not even 6AM!"

"I know, I was just... Yeah, I'm going back to bed now." Hiroki reluctantly removed himself from the warmth of the bed and shuffled over to the door, Takeo standing vigilant at the doorframe with his arms crossed as he saw that the boy did indeed make his way down the hall and back into his bedroom. When Hiroki's door finally closed, Takeo turned to his daughter.

"There'll be no sleeping in if you're not up in an hour for school," he warned her, only realising a moment later that Yumi was already asleep. Shaking his head and muttering grumpily to himself, Takeo closed her door behind her and returned to his own bed for a little more precious sleep.

Hiroki found it impossible to sleep and couldn't help being amused by the irony that once more, his day would commence with him being exhausted despite him wishing that he had gotten more sleep if he had had the chance to start it over.

* * *

><p>More than that, though, he spent the day deep in thought.<p>

He had a lot to think about, especially as the other Lyoko warriors approached him almost as soon as he walked through the gates of Kadic that morning. Ulrich, Jérémie and Aelita practically ran up to him, Odd, unusually, trailing behind.

"Good morning Hiroki," Aelita greeted him. "Thank you for your help earlier."

"How are you holding up?" Ulrich asked. He was watching Hiroki curiously, thinking how strange it was that he had been his age when he had gone to Lyoko for the first time; Hiroki seemed too young, but then he had been Yumi's kid brother for as long as he could remember. First impressions were hard to erase.

"I'm okay. Still weirded out by the whole going-back-in-time thing though," Hiroki admitted.

The older kids swapped knowing grins. "Don't worry," Jérémie told him. "You might even find it can be kinda fun."

Hiroki didn't know about that. He had a pop quiz in History this morning that he was going to have to retake, and he _still_ hadn't studied for it. At least he was a little more prepared this time.

"We're going to use tonight to get a little training in," Aelita added. "So if you and Yumi could get down to the factory for around seven-"

"We'll be there."

"Great!"

"You'll come too, right Odd?" Ulrich asked, turning towards the purple-clad boy. Odd stood slightly away from them with his arms crossed and his face set in a scowl.

"You're asking me now huh? That's funny - I thought we weren't making important decisions as a group any more, because I certainly don't remember being there when you decided to let Hiroki in."

"Odd, we already _told_ you, it was an emergency!"

"After what happened with Williiam, I thought we weren't taking this kind of thing lightly."

"We're not!"

"Hmph."

Hiroki stared awkwardly at his shoes. He hadn't realised his entry into the group had caused such a conflict, and the idea of being a Lyoko warrior now felt stupid and embarrassing. Hiroki admired Odd, and the disapproval from the ordinarily easy-going boy made him nervous.

"Don't worry," Aelita whispered to him, "Odd can't hold a grudge too long. He'll be over this by the end of the day, I guarantee it." She winked and then took off arm in arm with Jérémie, Ulrich behind them. Odd stalked off in the opposite direction and Hiroki shrugged to himself as he headed indoors to beat the morning rush before the bell rang.

Sure enough, by lunchtime Odd was sitting with his friends and graciously accepting all of their desserts by way of apology. Hiroki sat a few tables away with Johnny, but his best friend's excited speech about an upcoming new video game - something that Hiroki had at least listened to when he lived through this day the first time - went completely over his head. He was wondering what would be in store for him during his training on Lyoko; what did Yumi and the others look like there? Aelita was an elf-angel... thing... he imagined Ulrich would be some kind of knight maybe. But what about Odd?

"...from the screencaps in the magazine it looks like the graphics are going to be amazing, and- Hiroki? Hiroki?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry, what? Graphics?"

Johnny frowned and took a bite of his sandwich. Chewing furiously to swallow so he could speak again, he finally asked, "what's wrong? You've been zoned out all day."

"I have? Sorry, just... tired."

"Up too late playing video games again?"

Hiroki smiled. "Something like that."

When lunch was over, Hiroki found himself passing Odd on the way to his next lesson. The blond boy leaned over and clapped a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"See you later Hiroki. I'm not about to miss out on all the fun of training a new recruit. And, hey, if it's going to be anyone, I don't mind that it's you. So long as you don't go getting possessed by XANA or something and I'm sure you're smarter than that."

Hiroki was embarrassed to find himself blushing beneath the praise. Mumbling a casual "thanks man," he ducked his head and hurried off, but all the while he was grinning. He had always had a good rapport with Yumi's friends, especially since he was no longer quite as much the annoying little brother as he used to be. He only hoped he'd be able to prove himself a worthy team mate in due time.

* * *

><p>If the Lyoko warriors were under the impression that their actions were the only ones to change as a result of their various trips back in time... well, they would be mistaken.<p>

For when Chief Inspector Frédéric Gosselin sat down for his afternoon cup of coffee he wasn't to know he had made the exact same gesture on the exact same day and time already once before. He was, however, in for quite a different afternoon than the last time. For instance, he was now exempt from poring over a police radio to keep tabs on a freak weather incident, and subsequently his afternoon was free.

Little was he - or a group of school students in the French suburbs, for that matter – to know that that small factor would change everything.

Gosselin yawned and ran one hand over his closely-shaven beard, keeping his coffee mug cupped protectively in the palm of his other hand to absorb the warmth. The weather outside was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky, but that only meant someone had left the air conditioning on full-blast and now the entire department was freezing cold. Gosselin made it his next port of call to find out where the mains were and do something about it.

Right now, though, he was only just finding his way around the building, and half his stuff was still in unpacked boxes on the floor. His new desk was littered with stationary and scribbled-on pads of paper, a half-open pack of chewing gum within reach of the armrest. In one corner of the desk stood a single framed photograph. Frédéric's eyes lit up as he landed on this particular object, especially as it now served as a reminder that he would be reunited with the subject soon.

The photograph had been taken in a sunny field, with long dry grass that crept up to the knees of the small boy beaming at the camera and wearing a battered red cap.

Of course the boy was older now, fourteen in fact.

Xavier. His son.

A frown marred Gosselin's features as he picked up the photograph to examine it properly. It had been too long since he had seen the lad and it pained him to admit it. Ever since his divorce from Xavier's mother, and their subsequent move across the country, Gosselin got to see his son only once every few weeks.

Then this new position had opened for him and with nothing to lose, he had taken it. The new job was a bit of a downgrade in some respects; much quieter than the post in the busy city that Gosselin had lived and worked in for so long. Here in Boulogne-Billancourt things were slower, so it seemed - it was a respectable neighbourhood, a prestigious boarding school situated close by and as far as he knew, nothing more than the routine petty crimes taking place.

Still; higher position, better pay, less work. And the best part would be reconnecting with his son, a student at the boarding school a few streets away. It seemed like a fine deal to him, but he would have to find something to occupy his mind in the quieter hours, such was his inability to be content sitting around doing nothing.

Speaking of... Gosselin swept his gaze critically around his office. He was getting cold just sitting here, and finishing the remainder of the unpacking would soon warm him up.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Gosselin stood and stretched, wincing at the slight cracking sound that happened somewhere down his spine. He returned to his chair and sat back, admiring the room. Posters, maps and framed newspaper clippings were now tacked to the wall, files organised neatly on the shelves and all the other hallmarks of a newly organised office space neatly in position.<p>

He turned his attention to the clock and sighed a little. All that work and he had lost track of time; he could quite feasibly have left for home an hour ago. He was suddenly exhausted, and the thought of driving home right now didn't appeal to him in the slightest. Another cup of coffee, a chance to put his feet up in the now warm room, and then, when he was well rested, he would lock up.

Gosselin did just that, gratefully taking a swig of coffee as he booted up his laptop and crossed his ankles on top of the desk, jacket strung over the back of his chair. The photo on his desk in plain sight, his mind once again drifted to Xavier. He wondered how the boy was getting on. Would he be up for fishing this weekend? What was it boys his age did? What, now that he thought of it, was the name of that school that he went to?

Oh! That's right. Kadic Academy.

Xavier's mother had enrolled him there, insisted it was a fine school and being a boarder away from home would do Xavier good. Gosselin didn't know much about it himself. What better time than now to find out? It would be a step toward him learning more about the local area too.

With a single unpractised finger and some effort, Gosselin slowly typed 'Kadic Academy' into the search engine.

Below the school's official website and a couple of news websites with articles where the staff and pupils had been featured, the chief inspector's eye was caught by an unusual headline.

_Mysterious swarm of bugs hits French suburbs_, it read. _The infestation seems to have originated in the grounds of Kadic Academy, Bolougne-Billancourt. For approximately two hours on the morning of January 16th, 2003, a mass gathering of insects swept through the school, seemingly attacking students and staff with no direction. No one was seriously harmed and after a while the insects randomly dispersed of their own accord, drained of all lethal intent._

That was odd, Gosselin thought, scrolling down a little further. Soon he found that he was clicking on numerous links despite himself, until the strip above his address bar was filled with open tabs.

_Bolougne-Billancourt Conspiracy_ one forum thread title read. Gosselin glanced over a few posts and soon realised, due to the forum users' various signatures and online handles, that many of them were psychics. He rolled his eyes, refused to believe in any of that stuff. He was a cop, and he dealt in solid hard facts. Some of his colleagues might have sworn by 'psychic detectives' to help solve their cases, but not him.

And yet, because he still had half a mug of coffee left and not much else to do, he kept clicking.

_-I live near the Bolougne-Billancourt area, and for the last two years or so I've been having really vivid dreams of weird stuff happening. Lols you guys are going to think I'm CRAZY but I once had a dream about a giant teddy bear storming down the street like Godzilla or something._ :|

Immediately below this post, another forum user had replied:

_You're kidding me! No way, I had the same dream once._

Another thread, one of the most active and popular ones on the forum by the looks it, was simply titled "The Eye" and the original post read as follows:

_Hey... signed up here because I needed to know I wasn't going crazy. Sorry if this has been brought up before but, does anyone else dream about the Eye? It looks kind of like a target or something? With rings in the middle and lines coming off it?_

_Sorry I'm not explaining this very well. But it keeps coming up in my dreams and it's starting to freak me out. Btw I live in Bolougne-Billancourt, right near Kadic Academy. That place comes up in the dreams a lot as well._

_Help would be appreciated, thanks guys._

A user had replied with a hastily scratched drawing on lined paper, and the original poster had responded that that was indeed the eye they were talking about.

"Bunch of weirdos," the police chief mumbled, taking another sip of his coffee. What would a little suburban area near Paris have to do with anything? And yet, something wasn't right... why _did_ the name 'Bolougne-Billancourt' sound so familiar? Sure, it was where his son had been attending school for the last few years... maybe that was it. Maybe.

Taking a quick glance around the office and reassured that he wasn't going to be disturbed any time soon, Gosselin closed the web page and opened a programme which would allow him access to the police databases, profiling crimes as far back as the 1960s. That was as far as they had gone in digitising the database; the rest was still in files and paper, much of it handwritten, in rooms designated especially for those kinds of archives in the back of the station. He typed 'Bolougne-Billancourt' into the search engine and scrolled backwards through lists of accidents and petty crimes – robberies, minor car accidents, the usual small grievances one would expect from a high class surbuban area, spread out over the years.

Then something caught his eye. Gosselin blinked hard, nervous all of a sudden as though he was doing something he shouldn't be – and he supposed technically, delving into police archives wasn't the best use of his time - before clicking on a link titled simply "Carthage."

ACCESS DENIED, the screen told him. YOU ARE NOT AUTHORISED TO VIEW THIS PAGE. PLEASE ENTER A PASSWORD BEFORE CONTINUING.

He had no idea what the password might be, but his instincts were flaring now. He couldn't place why but he had the feeling that he needed to know what this case, simply titled 'Carthage', was. In any case it looked interesting. Why was it so secret?

He thought for a moment, one hand rubbing his beard.

Finally he reached for his phone and dialled a number. It was a few rings before someone finally answered and it was a woman's voice, sounding slightly bored. It brought a smile to Gosselin's voice to hear it; his long-time friend and colleague had always been there, whether it was to ease him through the pain of his divorce or to exchange notes on cases over evening drinks.

"Hey, Gabrielle?"

"Frédéric? It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Not bad. Yourself?"

"Same old, same old. What brings you calling this evening?"

"Cutting to the chase, huh?"

"Just doing it before you did."

"Touché. Well... I was wondering if you could do me a favour. You see, I'm just uh... looking into something, and I might need access to a few old files on record but I can't seem to get into them."

There was a mumbled reply and the chief gave the slightest roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll see to it that I owe you. I just want to do some reading, that's all. Can you do it or not?"

"I can do it. But it'll cost ya, we're busy over here you know. I should have left work an hour ago."

"Same here."

"So what is it you're after that's so interesting?"

"I'm not sure exactly. Probably nothing. I just want you to bring me all the files we have on something called... Carthage."

* * *

><p>At the Ishiyama household, after dinner, Hiroki and Yumi sat doing their homework on opposite sides of the dining room table. Their father sat in an armchair on the other side of the room, hidden behind a newspaper; their mother, absorbed in rearranging the knick-knacks on the mantelpiece.<p>

Yumi's focus was tugged gently away from her textbook as she became aware of a soft tapping at the other end of the table. She frowned at Hiroki, indicating that she was trying to concentrate, but he only continued to gently knock the end of his pen against the tabletop in a deliberate series of taps and pauses. Suddenly, Yumi's eyes lit up in recognition - it had been a while since they had used it, but sure enough... Morse Code!

Hiroki repeated the message once more and this time, Yumi understood. She replied in kind and with that, right beneath the noses of their parents, a message was exchanged.

_Factory at seven tonight._

_Right. I'll head out first, you meet me at the end of the road._

Yumi slammed her textbook closed and, sweeping her papers and stationary into arms, stood up.

"Homework's done!"

Akiko Ishiyama looked sceptical. "Already?"

Yumi shrugged. "I did most of it in my free lesson this afternoon."

"Well, okay then."

"Going to take a bath, see you later!"

And with that, Yumi was gone, preparing her escape. Hiroki waited what he hoped was long enough that his own sudden exit wouldn't appear too suspicious, then announced himself finished with his own studies and made some quick excuse about having accidentally left something outside before pulling on his coat and disappearing through the front door.

It was a cold night and Yumi was hopping from foot to foot to keep warm, arms crossed tightly over her chest, as she watched Hiroki arrive. They stood for a moment at the end of the road, a night time breeze softly tousling their hair, and grinned at one another.

"Come on, let's go."

They took off at a brisk walk in the direction of the factory. Huddled up in his coat and striding illicitly through the night with his big sister in preparation for training to save the world, Hiroki thought that there could be no greater adventure.


End file.
